Experimental music requires a specific sort of music fan. Not to be tolerated by ADD sufferers (not even the Ritalin-ingesting sort), such deconstructive sophistication can be a frustrating mess for simple souls who prefer spoon-feeding over digging in. Being an honest-to-God fan of groups like the Gorge Trio is no easy feat, but diving into this arrhythmic, nonsensical instrumental mishmash will leave you tired and breathless, but appreciatively so. You either want to get it or you don’t; trust me, you do.
Inspired by the deranged likes of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, the Gorge Trio isn’t new to the realm of wacky wizardry and intuitive spasms. You might know percussionist Chad Popple as saxophonist for the avant-garde jazz outfit the Flying Luttenbachers, guitarist and pianist Ed Rodriguez from noisy math-rock band Colossamite, and guitarist and keyboardist John Dieterich from Deerhoof. But together on the Trio’s debut, they satisfy a nagging urge to explore unknown territories and stake out new soundscapes: Tracks like “Roof Halves and Dewdrop Gems” and “The Age of Almost Living” are as mind-bending as the best experimental music out today. Whether you’re the weirdo making it or the weirdo digging it, you love this stuff for the same reason: It’s an exploration of the mind that easily surpasses the brief highs of mere instant gratification. Or Ritalin.
